UEFA, the governing body of European football, has made a historic decision to boycott FIFA's plan to privatize the World Cup. UEFA and its 55 member federations unanimously rejected FIFA President Gianni Infantino's proposal to open tournaments to private investors, declaring that European teams will not take part in any FIFA competitions.
The decision, taken by a 55-0 vote at an extraordinary meeting, will directly affect the 2027 Women's World Cup to be held in Brazil and the 2030 Men's World Cup co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco. UEFA stated: 'As long as these proposals are in effect, no UEFA national team will participate in any FIFA competition.'
FIFA's $20 billion privatization plan
FIFA President Infantino had proposed establishing a $20 billion subsidiary to manage the World Cup and other events, and selling minority shares in the entity to private investors. The plan included payments of $40 million to each of the 211 member federations if they approved by September. If rejected, the offer would revert to a previous package of $2.7 billion, or about $10 million per member.
UEFA stressed that the World Cup is not for sale and cannot be treated like an investment product. In a statement, it said: 'This is not only a profound failure of leadership, it is FIFA abandoning its duty as the guardian of world football.'
Reactions from other continents
The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) also rejected FIFA's proposal at a meeting held the same day. However, the Mexican Football Federation announced that it has not yet made a final decision and will await roundtable meetings to be organized by FIFA.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), in a strongly worded letter to its 47 member federations, warned that the proposal could never succeed without the support of all regional blocs. AFC President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said FIFA had not consulted them at any level and that the lack of detailed governance, financial or legal analysis was 'completely unacceptable'.
The executive committee of the African confederation will discuss the matter next week, while the Oceania confederation will do so next month. South American football's governing body CONMEBOL has not yet made an official statement.
Support from footballers and politicians
Following UEFA's announcement, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy commented: 'Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It is time to stand up to protect our game.'
The world footballers' union FIFPRO also opposed the plan, warning that the proposal would irreversibly alter the fundamental dynamics of the tournaments on which players build their careers.
UEFA's elite club competitions generated 4.4 billion euros in revenue in the 2024/25 season alone. Infantino, meanwhile, will stand for re-election as FIFA president next year.
